COSHOCTON – More than 2,500 bicyclists are set to descend on Coshocton this summer.

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure will come through Coshocton for the fifth time, and the first time since 2008. The sightseeing tour for avid cyclists, now in its 26th year, will take place June 14 to 21, starting and ending in Mansfield. Coshocton will be the stop for Monday and Tuesday of the week. Other stops include Orrville, Bucyrus and Mount Vernon.

The local organizing committee, led by Jan Myers and Amy Hasseman, is finalizing the logistics for emergency planning, transportation, food, entertainment, general information, campsite accomodations and other housing for participants. Myers, who also is the director of the Coshocton Visitors Bureau, said the tour is a boon to local businesses while the riders are in town.

River View Local School District is donating four buses to transport riders around the county for shopping, eating, sightseeing and planned special events. Drivers will be paid from GOBA funds for transportation. River View Transportation and Food Service Coordinator Scott Limburg, co-chairman for transportation, said the drivers who participated last time were eager to sign up again.

“They liked that. They had fun,” Limburg said of the drivers. “When I put word out (GOBA) was coming back, they were excited.”

A walk-through of the Lake Park Campground, the hub for GOBA while in Coshocton, will be at 4 p.m. May 14 for the committee. Sleeping quarters also will be offered at Coshocton Christian Tabernacle, and many riders will be renting rooms in local hotels. Local residents looking to put up riders for the two days they’re in Coshocton also are being sought.

Myers said organizers have lined up several organizations to offer food and special events, but more are welcome. The GOBA theme is “take a ride on the wild side,” and a sponsor is being sought for a wild game dinner. A pancake breakfast, open to the public, will be offered daily at Lake Park.

In addition, local churches, service organizations and youth groups will be hosting lunches and dinners. Myers said organizers are working with restaurants to provide food specials and discounts for GOBA participants.

Special activities tentatively include tours of Annin Flagmakers, a lunch and program by Roscoe Village at the Triple Locks Theater, dinner and music at the Pomerene Center for the Arts, and Holli Rainwater teaching tai chi classes, among other possibilities.

“This takes everyone working together to pull off,” Myers said. “All the committees are working well together and are right on top of it.”

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com

740-295-3417

Twitter: @llhayhurst

Get involved

For more information about the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, go to www.goba.com.

People interested in participating by providing food or other services can contact Jan Myers at 740-622-4877 or director@visitcoshocton.com, or GOBA Director Julie Van Winkle at 614-273-0811 or gobainfo@goba.com.